Annihilate the Conformity!
by CryptoChan-FURONart
Summary: Bored of his life as a Furon soldier, Crypto decides to head out to a Rave. However, nothing is as it seems when he's dragged into the war against Furonic and Human conformity.
1. Chapter 1

I've never seen the huge attraction to human Music. I mean, it never seemed so important, or good for that matter. So, I was never really sure why I went out to Club Exoskeleton, a new Rave in Arizona, an invasion site. For a while, I just lurked outside, getting suspicious stares from bouncers, Ravers telling me to come in. Finally, after a few days of hanging outside, I surrendered, and paid, walking in. Opening my mind, I extended it in all directions, picking up the thoughts f those around me. It was a strange experience. To this day, I dunno how I should describe it, but these humans weren't like any other humans I've scanned. They had a strange connection to each other, even to those they didn't know, and a strange passion for music. There was one mind in particular that I was attracted to. I couldn't tell if it was male or female, but they literally LIVED for music. There was hardly a moment that passed without some song playing off their iPod. They felt such a deep love for techno, music, and bass rhythms. Looking deeper into their mind, I found a strange resistance. I tried to push against it, to break it, but I was met with a strong force I couldn't break down. I scanned the area, humans packed around me. I felt mildly disgusted, and the music gave me a headache. It smelled like human and beer. I kept contact with the mind, and soon met the owner.

It was a girl, around 17, with bright green eyes, hair dyed purple, and doing a complicated dance routine to the song playing. As it switched, she screamed out, "Hecks yeah, JUMP WITH ME, HUMANS!"

She began another routine, keeping in tune with the beat, jumping up and down. Slowly, her dance became more intricate, with spins, kicks, twirls, all the while staying perfectly in tune with the beat.

"Man, she's good!" someone said.

"Yeah, jumpen like that's hard!" another human said.

I scanned the minds of those around me. Some of the people not wasted or making sense were calling it jumpstyle. I watched the girl, transfixed, oblivious to what was around me. Had I not been paying so much attention to this solitary Raver, I would have noticed the two figures coming up from behind me, weapons in hand, and I could have defended myself from the blow to the head that sent me tumbling to the ground, world going black around me.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up, head spinning, pounding.

"Man...what HAPPENED last night?" I grumbled, reaching up to rub my forehead...finding that I was bound.

I looked up, eyes wide, senses alert as I took in my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the familiar coppery smell of the place...it was blood. Next thing I noticed was that the entire room was lined in torture equipment.

"Where am I?" I said aloud.

"You're in our home, the home of the New Furon Empire," came a sinister, chirpy voice.

I turned, and saw a tall Furon-Human girl walking down a stairway I had not noticed before. In an attempt to read her mind, I found a wall of steel blocking me from doing so. So I looked into her eyes.

Hard, steel-gray eyes glared back at me, reflecting my image in them. They were filled with decades of sadness and anger. I took in the other features of my captor, Hair curling inward, with straight bangs, dyed bright pink, the tips a dark purple. Her skin was smooth and pale, her body tall, slender, muscular, and covered in scars. She looked so familiar.

"What is the New Furon Empire?" I demanded. She laughed at me, mocking me, looking at me as if I were stupid. Then another figure stepped out from behind a tall chair. A familiar figure, but he had lost all confidence. Instead, he looked broken, weakened, and it looked as though he had been living in torment for hundreds of years.

His eyes, once bright with malice and intelligence, now dull, lifeless. His confidence was gone, evident in his caved in body, how he moved slowly, robotically. I didn't want to believe it.

"Pox...what happened?" I asked, throat restricting in sadness as I saw my old friend so weak. He looked at me, and I saw the faintest flicker of hope in his eyes.

"They...used me. Turned against me, the twins, my advisers...Rammi-Chan...her," he whispered, nodding towards the girl, who smirked at me, chin lifted. "They told me what to do, not letting me leave, saying what they were doing was right. And I had no idea what was going on. They took over...making me their puppet. Crypto, I did not want to do what they made me do. Please, get out! Tell the people! I hate the torment that they put our people through!" he gasped before the girl, Rammi-Chan, pulled her arm back and slapped him.

"You old fool," she growled. "I have not hurt the people! Yes, they are a bit underfed, yes, they are a bit sad, but it is in the interest of the Empire and its strength as a whole. A few upset and hungry workers, eh, what's the difference," she said. She had a Russian accent.

"What do you-" she cut me off with a wave of her hand. "I will show you. Blasto!" she called. Another stepped out from behind the chair. I gasped. I recognized him.

He was my son. He looked at me, surprise, joy, then hatred flickered across his features.

"Yes...my little brother, your son...oh, you shouldn't have abandoned us and mother, Cryptosporidium! I wouldn't have to do this if it weren't for YOU!" she growled, baring her teeth. They were sharp, jagged, and perfectly white. And I saw myself in her. I felt as if a ton had been dropped onto my back.

"You...I had a daughter," I whispered, voice cracking. She glowered.

"Yes," she said, walking slowly towards me, eyes cruel, even more so than before.

That was why she was so familiar. She had, other than my eyes, Natalya's features, even her voice.

"Why didn't she tell me?" I asked, voice small.

"Because you didn't care enough to ask!" she roared. She slapped me, and it stung. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth.

"So then why the heck are you taking it out on Pox?" I demanded. "The Empire?"

She shook her head. "You'd never listen unless I would have. Blasto! Make sure he doesn't escape."

He nodded, the same empty look in Pox's eyes reflected in his. Hunched over, he approached me warily, as if I were going to hurt him. He pulled me to my feet. I could tell he was being forced into doing this, but I scanned him, nonetheless.

Unlike Rammi-Chan's, his mind was open. I didn't read his thoughts. I didn't want to, not yet. I looked at his emotions, and I almost fell over from the utter despair he felt.

His mind was a gray, desolate place. Rammi-Chan, her real name Typhus, had, as a child, outlined a plan for a new Furon Empire to him. She promised a wonderful place, where they would rule, where humans, like Natalya, could belong.

"What about daddy? Can he help us?" Blasto had asked, eyes wide and hopeful. He didn't understand that I had gone without being their from the start. Typhus's eyes darkened a bit. They were the same age, but she was much harsher, more cruel. She was the smart one. Then she smiled.

"Of course he will, Blasto! And he'll be with us. We'll be a family, a real one, living in the palace, with plenty of food, warm water..."

So she filled his head with lies about a gorgeous New Furon Empire, everyone working equally, no one better than another. No specific government, everyone just did what was right. If someone did break a law, however, they'd be ignored, rations cut off until they either left of justified their actions. It reminded me of Communism. I should have said something then, but we were going up the stairway, so I immediately started to refocus my thoughts on the present. The pair were silent, grave. Angry. Both angered at me. Blasto angered at me and Typhus, even Natalya, for not realizing her daughter was evil.

"Typhus, can we just talk?" I asked her softly. She stopped, I stopped, and felt Blasto gently bump into me from behind,. He wasn't paying any attention. Slowly, Typhus turned, rage boiling in her eyes.

"Blasto! I TOLD you; KEEP YOUR BARRIERS UP!" she screamed. She slammed me into the wall and I fell, breath knocked out of me. Dimly, I saw her slap Blasto. Some instinct screamed at me to do something. I broke the simple ropes holding me, grabbed Typhus, and shoved her back.

"What's wrong with-" I began, but found myself tumbling down the stairs, Blasto with me, hearing Typhus laughing. We slammed onto level ground, beaten and bruised. I sat up, Blasto curled up, staring at me, terrified.

"D-don't make her mad...she'll kill you," he whispered, dirty brown, tangled hair falling into his clear, blue eyes. I glared at Typhus as she strode down. She beckoned to Pox who slowly, reluctantly, joined her side.

"Why do you call me that? It's a family name, and you are NOT my family!" she cried, anger and hurt clear in her eyes and voice.

"It's your name," I said. "What else should I—" I began, but she cut me off.

"Rammi-Dono," she growled. She glared at Blasto. "Do NOT let down your shields, you nit-witted thing! And make sure he can't escape!"

He nodded slightly. "Yes, Rammi-Sempai," he whispered, voice trembling. She smiled.

"That's good, little brother," she whispered.

As we stood slowly, painfully, she began the walk again. This time, Pox and Blasto walked beside me.

We soon reached the upper level, or perhaps ground floor, and were lead inside a small, prison-like room. I got the feeling that this was where Blasto and Pox spent most of their time.

"Why don;t you two tell father dear all about my magnificent Empire...I'm going out to buy me some more glow sticks," Typhus said breezily, walking out. The door locked after she slammed it.

When her footsteps died away, Blasto and Pox stared at me.

"Both of you, please don;t be mad...I mean, it's rational for you to get mad, but I didn't KNOW, oka-"

"Well, then you could have asked," Blasto whispered looking at me with a hurt expression.

"Blasto...I'm sorry. Even after I learned you were my son, I ignored you...not out of anger, but-"

"Typhus made me do it. She set everything up, even the call. Mother as long dead by then," Blasto said sadly. "I didn't want to hurt you, I wanted to have a father."

Seeing the sadness in his eyes broke my heart. Unable to contain it, I went to him and hugged him tightly. I felt his surprise, and he started crying. I, quietly, joined him.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I know, I should have checked to make sure...i should have been there,"

Blasto shook his head. "You had your duties and responsibilities as a soldier," he whispered.

"That's the worst excuse I could make. I'm just a terrible father," I said.

He nodded. "I know."

I held him at arms length, frowning, staring into his puzzled eyes. "Sit," I told him, and he did, looking confused.

Due to my lack of a comb or hairbrush, I began running my fingers through his hair gently pulling out the knots in it. Once done, I stared at the results. When neat, his hair was cut in choppy layers, reaching past his eyebrows. I smiled, and he gave me the firt real smile I'd seen from him.

"What's she going to do with us?" I asked.

Blasto looked at Pox.

"She'll make you a puppet role model, like me. Perfectly happy, a good citizen," he said sadly.

"I won't let her. I don't know what she';s don, but I'm not letting her hurt me people!" I growled with fierce determination.

"No. She clones you. A clone with her personality, minus the need for being a leader, of being superior. To make sure you won't slip up. And then she makes it your personal tormentor," Pox explained in a slightly terrified whisper. A shudder ran through him and he looked around as if the clone was lurking in the room.

I realized what I was up against. "aren't there rebels?" I asked.

A strange spark of hope flickered in Blasto's eyes. "ManicSite!," he said, looking at Pox.

"There's no way...but Crypto, if you can escape...find Super-Chan. Find out where ManicSite! Meets. They are a human group, and they know nothing of us. But one meeting of theirs, and you'll understand everything. Think of our race as the celebrity-brainwashed clones of each other. Remember that," Pox said, the same hope in his eyes. "Leave breaking out to us."

I looked at my best friend and my son. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I trusted them. I nodded. "Alright," I said firmly. "Get me out of here, and you'll be right behind me. I'm not leaving either of you behind," I said.

And I thought to myself, _Nor am I leaving Typhus._


	3. Chapter 3

Pox and Blasto explained to me just what was going on. It was the government she made for Blasto all those years ago, but she was a ruler, using Pox's clone as a cover. He was called P-Dono, and was fiercely devoted to her cause. Out of loneliness, she made him fall in love with her. I questioned Pox on this.

"Crypto...I met her a few years ago, before all this," he said. "We went out-"

I interrupted him. "If you-"

"Crypto, nothing happened but me falling in love with a girl to later abuse me and use me for her own evil purposes. I knew she was your daughter, and I couldn't-"

"Wait, you KNEW I had a daughter and never TOLD me?" I demanded. His eyes widened. "Why would you do that, Pox?"

"I...Crypto...it was for your own good," he stammered.

"HOW is it for my own GOOD! Look what happened because of my neglect of my own family! Pox, if you'd have told me, I could have stopped this all!" I roared, glaring at him.

For once, he was afraid. That's when I saw how much Typhus had hurt him. And I was acting no different. I sat next to him. "Pox I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to yell like that," I said softly. He shook his head.

"No, I deserved it," he said, voice shaking.

It was then that I looked over at Blasto. My eyes widened. He had a single detonator.

"I built it from scratch. We blast the wall down, dad, you can go," he said.

"Only if you two-"

"No. You stay. It'll be a smaller target. Plus, we've made sure to underestimate you to her. She thinks you're not a threat, just a famous guy for fighting for his race. She doesn't think you can do anything to hurt her or the Empire," Blasto said.

Pox nodded. "It's true," he said.

"I'm NOT leaving-" I began, but Blasto interrupted by throwing his arms around me. I gave in. "  
Fine. But as soon as I can, I'm freeing you. And blame me," I said. "I won't let her hurt you."

Blasto pulled away. "Dad..." he said softly. Then he smiled. A truly joyful smile. "Thanks."

Before I could question what he was thanking me for, he shoved me against the opposite wall, Pox shielding me, then him, and he threw the bomb. After a second or two, it exploded, setting off an alarm.

"Go!" Blasto screamed, pushing me forward. "Phoenix, Arizona! ManicSite!" he added.

I ran, jumping out of the gap, hitting the ground in a roll. I reached up, grabbing my jetpack. Pressing a button on it, I called my saucer. In moments, it arrived, and as it teleported me in, I looked back to my son and my best friend.

"I swear, I'll find you!" I yelled before entering.

I immediately ran to the controls and fired up my shields as Typhus's base's defenses began firing at me. I flew off.

"Computer, get me the fastest way to Phoenix, Arizona, and find all data you can on ManicSite!...and hurry," I said.

The computer beeped and maps, info pages, and more began showing up on my computer screen. I flew in the direction the computer told me to go, crossing my fingers, praying Blasto and Pox would be alright. And despite our one run-in being a horrible one, I wanted Typhus to be okay, too.


	4. Chapter 4

It took me an hour to reach Phoenix, and when I stepped out, I was overcome with a heat I didn't think possible for Earth. I nearly collapsed. I put up a disguise on, and changed into only a pair of shorts and left again. I wandered around, not sure where I was going. I stopped someone.

"Hey, what's ManicSite!," I asked them, exhausted by the heat, praying Typhus couldn't find me.

"What?" the person asked.

Another bystander moved forward, resting a hand on my shoulder. "This," he said, handing me a flyer. "We've been advertising all day, thanks! How'd you hear-"

"My son," I said, taking the flyer. A meeting today. "Anyone can come?"

"Dude, we have Irken exiles coming. Of course," the boy said, grinning. He had spiked purple hair.

"I'll be there," I said, nodding.

"Cool! Love the raver getup, man," he added, nodding.

I looked down at myself, remembering the rave and feeling a stab of pain shoot through me. "Thanks," I said and left before he could quiz me further.

At five, the meeting began. I walked, no use drawing attention to myself. I wore the rave outfit.

I approached a small, squat abandoned warehouse. It made me think of older raves, when they were more secretive. It occurred to me that maybe the rave I went to before might not have been a real rave to some people, the people who grew up with the basement or abandoned warehouse secret raves. I didn't see the attraction, I thought they;'d get more crowded, but everyone had opinions. And with humans...I wasn't sure. Most ravers I scanned earlier were in it for the rave scene, and the drugs. I had been drugged with things to make me hallucinate at times, and it was NOT fun. I didn't see the attraction of inducing it on purpose.

As I walked in, I was greeted by the same boy. "Hey! It's you! Hey, how often do you rave? Or, like...are you part of the scene?" he asked me.

"I went to my first rave...uh..." I struggled to remember how long ago it was. "A-a few days ago."

He laughed. "Wow. After every meeting, we have a REAL rave here. If you can't remember it, then...well, we don't consider it a rave." When I questioned him, he replied, "Super-Chan will explain."

"Who's Super-Chan?" I asked. "And WHAT'S with the Japanese honorifics?" Typhus used them. It made me suspicious.

"Super-Chan is, like, the magical force of good that keeps us alive and awesome. She's a total hardcore raver, an artist, singer, dancer...man, she's a Goddess. And she's totally hot, too! Never turns down a date, but she's like Haruhi, they rarely last very long," he said. He wanted her, I could tell. "She even has a shirt that says she ain't interested in ordinary people. None of us are ordinary, of course, but still, she dumps us easily...relationships last longer with girls, but no one knosw if it's because she's a lesbian, or if it's an act of rebellion...her parents are homophobes," he added. "Sorry, I tend to babble."

I smiled. "It's okay," I said. "So...I just go in and sit?"

He nodded. "Yeah. And experience the magic of ManicSite!" he said, grinning. I nodded, walking past him, down a short hallway.

My guard was up, I must have looked hostile, tense, and I knew I looked saddened. I pushed open a door, the only door in the place, not quite ready for what I saw.

Some tall, slender, and dare I say it, nearly painfully gorgeous, girl was dancing on a hand-made strage, singing along to Lady Gaga. I watched, transfixed. She looked so familiar. Then I realized who she was.

"You're the jumpstyle girl!" I said, almost against my will.

She stopped, looking at me with clear, lime green eyes. They were almost unnaturally bright. She jumped down, walking to me, smiling. "Hi," she said. "And yeah, I'm a jumper," she added, doing a complicated routine. "You?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no. I can't dance for the life of me," I said, embarrassed. She looked me up and down, and the song ended, moving on to another Lady Gaga song. 

She smiled. "Then stay after," she said. "NOW, the party begins!"

She jumped back onto the stage, executing a strange, three-fingered pose. "OKAY! New peeps, so I explain; we are ManicSite!. One word with an exclamation point at the end, don't get it wrong. Do you ever look around you and noticed how similar everyone looks?" she asked.

"Yes," I said softly, remembering my last time on Furon, only a few years ago. She launched into a speech.

"This world today is filled with clones. Few are truly unique, no matter how much people say others are. We are the few fighting for our own style, fighting to let others accept us. We fight racism, homophobia, and the fear of self-expression, teaching people to let go of the rope connecting you to average life..."

So it went for an hour. It was a beautiful speech, and as she recited it, I felt a strange warmth filling me, a smile on my lips as I leaned forward, listening raptly. She concluded, and everyone applauded. Even me.

"Alright, everyone, before we start, I'd like to say meeting next week, keep checking the site, 'kay? Great. Also, thanks for the new people coming back, and to all of you for sticking with us. We're having another thing at First Friday, and we're going to try and get a booth Well, I am, but I need the liscense! It costs a lot, and I'd greatly appreciate a donation, anything from a penny to whatever,. You don't have to, but it's for the good of the Site!," she said, smiling. "And as always, don't give up on the eternal quest for our Mission. It seems hard and impossible, but we will get over it. Our individuality, our Mission, will shine. Our peace will overcome war. Our love overcomes the hate. The unity overpowering the distance separating the human race, and the respect for another overcoming the disrespect seen in most," she said.

Lady Gaga started again, and people started filing out, staying in the corridor, all except for her. She pulled a sheet off some high-tech looking professional DJ equipment, running her hands lovingly over it. She then went to the wall behind her, pulling down a curtain, revealing several laser lights. She looked them over with the love a mother would look at a child with. I walked up to her as she started moving chairs into another room, stacking them first. I picked on up, setting it on another. She looked up, startled.

"Oh, it's you...hey," she said, smiling.

"Hey, Super-Chan, right?" I asked. At her nod, I continued. "My...my son told me about you. I...I'm glad I came, not just for his sake," I said, not sure what else to say, but strangely not regretting it.

"Your son? That's sweet of you," she said, beaming. "Is he here?"

I felt a lump rise in my throat, and for the first time since leaving, I realized how much trouble Blasto could be in. With his sister. She saw my despair and lead me to the stage, sitting me down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly, lifting my chin up, forcing me to look at her.

I shook my head. "No," I said. She gave me a knowing look. "Sorry, I...it's just...never mind. It's..." I stopped myself from saying "It's nothing." He was my son, Pox my best friend. How was it nothing?

"It means everything to you, but I';m a random stranger and wouldn't get it because it's too painful, and only you can feel the pain you do?"

I was shocked by how much she understood. "Yeah," I said.

"Want to learn about real raves, Exoskeleton boy?" she asked. I laughed, despite my sadness.

Which was when I Cortex Scanned her.

I gasped, ignoring her strange stare. Her mind was a whirlwind of light, joy, and a passion for the arts. Rave was her life, and electronic music was an art to her. She felt no need for food or drink when held in its arms. Music was her only reason for living. Her family was dead, she lived alone, supporting herself from a crummy job at a fast food place. But she loved her life, because no matter how horrible things got, she walked with joy in her hear, a song on her lips, and love in her body. I find it impossible to describe her mind, but it was...art. It seemed never-ending, lie a Furon's, but not arrogant and self centered. She cared nothing for herself, except for the smallest will to stay alive to help others. Everything she did, she did it for someone else. This, ManicSite!, was for her mother, who wanted to spread her vision of love for all to the world. I think I understood then why Blasto told me to come. Because maybe if I could teach Typhus Super-Chan's ideas, she would understand that her form of government wouldn't have to be so...corrupt.

"Hey, dude...you okay?" she asked. I looked up, surprised.

"What? Oh, yeah...I'm sorry. You're...you' not like anyone I know, but so much like someone I do know," I said.

"Really? Who, if I may ask?" she replied.

"My daughter...except friendlier," I said.

"Oh...familial problems?" she asked.

I nodded. "To say the least."

"Ouch. Really sorry, man," she said. "Makes you feel better, I have to raise a kid with no support from the stupid father, who said he loved me," she said.

It only made me feel worse, but I put on a fake smile of encouragement.

"I'm sure you deserve better," I said. For the first time, she looked sad. Then she looked up.

"Oh, can you help me finish setting up, please?" she asked. "It's almost time!"

I nodded, and we finished preparing. "So, Lady Gaga," I said. "Kind of a conflict ion."

She laughed. "You're the first to bring it up, but yes, a huge one. But I mean...how can we not love someone so individual?" she asked.

I smiled as we started talking about music. How I knew so much about it is an easy question to answer. A week on earth with just entertainment channels, you know everything.

After we don, she looked at me.

"This is a real rave, not like Club Exo. You'll feel it, I promise." She shut off the lights, and immediately, everyone outside ran out, cheering. They were cheering her name, waving glow sticks. She went to her turntables.

"YO YO YO, KIDDIES!" she yelled. "Time to party, Manic style!"

A hyperactive, peppy tune started up, people dancing. At first, I felt far too shy, too self conscious. But then my eyes met Super-Chan's. She winked at me in a way that told me to abandon my self consciousness. This was a place where no one would judge you. So I danced. I was bad, but I still did. And for the first time in a long time, this strange feeling came over me. I let down my mind's barriers, scanning those around me. I read Super-Chan's thoughts again.

_Peace. Love. Unity. Respect._

Over and over again. I understood what a rave was that day. It wasn't a place to blast music and get high, or even to dance. It was a place where people went to be with people like them, who wanted an escape from the sadness and anger or the world, where people went to love everyone, be with everyone, feel like they were a part of a family. Feel accepted. And I felt that now. It was wonderful. I felt real.

I understood why I was here more than ever.


End file.
